Auto Suggestions are available once you type at least 3 letters. Use up arrow (for mozilla firefox browser alt+up arrow) and down arrow (for mozilla firefox browser alt+down arrow) to review and enter to select.

Overview

The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro by Zachary M. Schrag

Drivers in the nation's capital face a host of hazards: high-speed traffic circles, presidential motorcades, jaywalking tourists, and bewildering signs that send unsuspecting motorists from the Lincoln Memorial into suburban Virginia in less than two minutes. And parking? Don't bet on it unless you're in the fast lane of the Capital Beltway during rush hour.

Little wonder, then, that so many residents and visitors rely on the Washington Metro, the 106-mile rapid transit system that serves the District of Columbia and its inner suburbs. In the first comprehensive history of the Metro, Zachary M. Schrag tells the story of the Great Society Subway from its earliest rumblings to the present day, from Arlington to College Park, Eisenhower to Marion Barry.

Unlike the pre–World War II rail systems of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, the Metro was built at a time when most American families already owned cars, and when most American cities had dedicated themselves to freeways, not subways. Why did the nation's capital take a different path? What were the consequences of that decision?

Using extensive archival research as well as oral history, Schrag argues that the Metro can be understood only in the political context from which it was born: the Great Society liberalism of the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. The Metro emerged from a period when Americans believed in public investments suited to the grandeur and dignity of the world's richest nation. The Metro was built not merely to move commuters, but in the words of Lyndon Johnson, to create "a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community."

Schrag scrutinizes the project from its earliest days, including general planning, routes, station architecture, funding decisions, land-use impacts, and the behavior of Metro riders. The story of the Great Society Subway sheds light on the development of metropolitan Washington, postwar urban policy, and the promises and limits of rail transit in American cities.

About the Author

Zachary M. Schrag is a professor of history at George Mason University.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

Abbreviations xix

Introduction 1

1 The City, 1791-1955 11

2 The Plans, 1955-1965 32

3 The Stations, 1965-1967 65

4 The Region, 1966-1967 95

5 The Bridge, 1966-1971 119

6 The Builders, 1972-1976 142

7 The Money, 1972-1980 171

8 The District 196

9 The Suburbs 221

10 The Riders 243

Conclusion 273

Notes 285

Index 347

What People are Saying About This

Carl Abbott

"A masterful work of urban policy history, The Great Society Subway tells the inside story, from idea to reality, of the development of the Washington Metro from the perspectives of all the key players. There's nothing like it available."

Editorial Reviews

"In this superbly-written book, Zachary Schrag... explains how this achievement came about and what its impact is... A joy to read."

Technology and Culture - Gregory L. Thompson

"A meticulously researched account."

Urban Land - Phil Hervey

"Schrag has written a valuable study of the role of infrastructure in shaping the modern, urban world, and he aptly shows both the possibiities and limitations of major public investments... insights especially illuminating."

CRM: Journal of Heritage Stewardship - J. Lawrence Lee

"Without question high drama... I strongly recommend that you put down the latest Baldacci mystery and ready this very well written, comprehensive, and entertaining book... one terrific book that belongs on lots of shelves, from planners to historians to rail buffs to politicians."

Journal of Planning Literature - Konrad J. Perlman

"A remarkable book. It has drama, it has pathos, it has passion, it has literary grace."

Journal of Transport History - Bob Post

"In clear and engaging prose, Schrag interweaves facts with a wide range of pragmatic, political, and aesthetic matters with discussions of those who posed and resolved the issues."

Journal of Social History - Pamela Scott

The Great Society Subway is a great book for students of contemporary transit history.

 Alexander D. Mitchell

Railfan & Railroad

Schrag has written a valuable study of the role of infrastructure in shaping the modern, urban world, and he aptly shows both the possibiities and limitations of major public investments... insights especially illuminating.

 J. Lawrence Lee

CRM: Journal of Heritage Stewardship

"Extensively researched, cleverly structured, and finely written, this book stands out for the way it provides an integral, comprehensive account of a key urban service."

American Historical Review - Georg Leidenberger

"The author makes us privy to the thinking that went into the system's design."

Washington Post Book World - Dennis Drabelle

"Schrag does a thorough job with his subject."

Washington Times - Rachel DiCarlo

"The Great Society Subway is a great book for students of contemporary transit history."

Railfan and Railroad - Alexander D. Mitchell

"A welcome and readable addition to the literature of how we construct the societies we inhabit."

Regional Plan Association Spotlight - Alex Marshall

"An exhaustively researched, engagingly written study of the planning, designing, building, and operating of the Washington Metro."

Journal of American History - Sy Adler

"[Schrag] shows the interrelationship of citizens' hopes and fears, visionaries' ideas, politicians' need to succeed, engineers' practical requirements, and the ebb and flow of affecting events over time. It is a fascinating story well told... a love story by an historian for his city and its people."

Journal of the American Planning Association - William W. Millar

In clear and engaging prose, Schrag interweaves facts with a wide range of pragmatic, political, and aesthetic matters with discussions of those who posed and resolved the issues.

 Pamela Scott

Journal of Social History

A remarkable book. It has drama, it has pathos, it has passion, it has literary grace.

 Bob Post

Journal of Transport History

In clear and engaging prose, Schrag interweaves facts with a wide range of pragmatic, political, and aesthetic matters with discussions of those who posed and resolved the issues.

 Pamela Scott

Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians

Without question high drama... I strongly recommend that you put down the latest Baldacci mystery and ready this very well written, comprehensive, and entertaining book... one terrific book that belongs on lots of shelves, from planners to historians to rail buffs to politicians.

 Konrad J. Perlman

Journal of Planning Literature

The author makes us privy to the thinking that went into the system's design.

 Dennis Drabelle

Washington Post Book World

In this superbly-written book, Zachary Schrag,... explains how this achievement came about and what its impact is.

Technology and Culture

Schrag does a thorough job with his subject.

 Rachel DiCarlo

Washington Times

"It's a fascinating look at a modern transit triumph."

Trains

"A timely look at how the Metro got where it is today."

Civil Engineering

Extensively researched, cleverly structured, and finely written, this book stands out for the way it provides an integral, comprehensive account of a key urban service.

 Georg Leidenberger

American Historical Review

"A graceful, fact-packed history of the genesis, development, and current state of the Washington Metro system."

H-DC

"A masterful new book... Schrag's The Great Society Subway gives an eloquent and hopeful explanation of how this marvelous system came to be, and backs it up with an enormous amount of evidence and keen historical perspective."

Washington History

A meticulously researched account.

 Phil Hervey

Urban Land

A welcome and readable addition to the literature of how we construct the societies we inhabit.

 Alex Marshall

Hartford Courant

An excellent book... a welcome and readable addition to the literature of how we construct the societies we inhabit.

 Alex Marshall

Regional Plan Association Spotlight

An exhaustively researched, engagingly written study of the planning, designing, building, and operating of the Washington Metro.

 Sy Adler

Journal of American History

Beginning with the history of Washington, DC, and the influences that shaped it, Schrag presents one of the clearest explanations I have ever read on these complex processes... a love story by an historian for his city and its people.

Washington, the evergreen state, is a land of mountains, rivers, deserts, lakes, forests and ocean
coastlines. Its history dates back to the Native Americans who first occupied this area and extends to the modern day era of technology and business. ...

Excerpt from A Review of the History of the Great LakesBuried Tributaries. A branch of
the Laurentian river, now buried beneath 500 feet of drift, extended from the southern basin of lake Michigan across the Michigan penin sula and the ...

Alexander the Great (Makers of History) by JACOB ABBOTT with Engravings.Alexander earned the epithet the
Great due to his unparalleled success as a military commander. His use of terrain, phalanx and cavalry tactics, bold strategy, and the fierce loyalty of ...

University researchers in the United States seeking to observe, survey, or interview people are required
first to complete ethical training courses and to submit their proposals to an institutional review board (IRB). Under current rules, IRBs have the power to ...

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are
now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The history of basketball is chock-full of famous buzzer-beating shots, amazing game-saving plays, and thrilling
maneuvers that defy gravity. All fans have their favorite memory, just as they have their favorite team and their favorite player. Now here's a book ...

Volume two of the Pictorial History of the majestic Great Pyrenees in black and white
continues, beginning with Cote de Neige kennels. It follows a loose historical time line and goes around the world. It ends with a special tribute ...